The present invention relates generally to location dependent delivery of information to mobile data processing systems, and more particularly to a system for pushing situational location dependent content to data processing system devices traveling to locations for, or in directions of, that place which delivery content is designated as deliverable.
The boom of the internet has greatly provided information to mobile users through wireless web server connected devices such as laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and telephones. People with an internet enabled device can access yahoo.com (yahoo is a trademark of Yahoo corporation) and other internet connected resources. There are also Global Positioning System (GPS) devices that enable mobile users to know exactly where they are on a particular map. Users with GPS device functionality can further manually enter their known location into an internet MAP directory service (e.g. yahoo.com Maps) and then provide a target address they want to go to. Step by step instructions are then provided to the user for how to get to the destination from the current location. Some GPS devices provide local processing for directing, and narrating to, a driver. Mating automated location finding systems with internet travel direction services is an attractive blend.
Cadillac recently announced the OnStar program with sales of Cadillac automobiles (Cadillac and OnStar are trademarks of General Motors corporation). A person is enabled with calling upon an xe2x80x9cOnStar Advisorxe2x80x9d 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, with the press of a button. An emergency call, for example 911, or for a disabled Cadillac vehicle, allows a driver to instantly call upon wireless connected assistance. The driver may also call upon the OnStar Advisor for directions to a destination. The Advisor has access to automatic processing for determination of the vehicle""s current location in case of auto theft, a disabled vehicle, or assisting with directions. The Advisor can also remotely unlock the vehicle should the driver lock the keys in the car. In effect, Cadillac drivers have full time wireless connected assistance around the clock for many reasons. While the location determination of the vehicle is automatic, there remain manual processes performed by the Advisor. Automation of some of these processes is desirable.
Many internet services derive their revenue stream from advertising. Advertisers pay to have their content delivered to users who access web site and web server interfaces. Advertisers desire to target their audience at the most appropriate time. Knowing the location of a user as being relevant to a particular advertisement is desirable. Automating the delivery of the content is desirable.
A method is needed for a low cost business model that enables the efficient configuration of deliverable content for automatic delivery to mobile users based on their situational location that is relevant to receive such content.
The present invention provides transmission of situational location dependent information from a server data processing system (SDPS) to a receiving data processing system (RDPS). The server data processing system (SDPS) communicates with the receiving data processing system (RDPS) by pushing content (i.e. proactive content delivery) when appropriate, rather than in response to a user query. A candidate delivery event associated with a current positional attribute of the receiving data processing system is recognized and a situational location of the remote data processing system is determined. The candidate delivery event may be a location and/or direction change, device state change, or movement exceeding a movement tolerance. The situational location of the remote data processing system may be its location, direction, location and direction, proximity to a location, state change, or location and/or direction relative to a previous location and/or direction, or combinations thereof. At the SDPS, a set of delivery content from a deliverable content database is retrieved according to the situational location of the RDPS, and according to system delivery constraints and/or configured user delivery constraints. The SDPS transmits any applicable content found to the RDPS. The delivery content is configurable by authorized administrators in a manner that enables the configured content for immediate delivery should a RDPS meet the criteria of the associated situational location and delivery constraints.
Various embodiments with respect to recognizing a candidate delivery event and determining a situational location include:
the SDPS recognizes the candidate delivery event (e.g. various wireless embodiments and physical connection embodiments)
the RDPS recognizes the candidate delivery event (e.g. GPS and some wireless)
the SDPS determines the situational location associated with the candidate delivery event which may have been determined by the RDPS and communicated to the SDPS, or determined by the SDPS
the RDPS determines the situational location associated with the candidate delivery event and communicates the information to the SDPS for further processing
A situational location is completely determined for the RDPS upon the candidate delivery event. Content that can be delivered is fully configurable, of any type, and can be instantly activated for candidate delivery upon convenient administration. As well known in the art of software installation, the present invention may be installed to a variety of network embodiments and underlying operating systems through installation parameters, or as distinct installations for the particular platform. Preferably, an internet connection is used for configuring deliverable content, and for the interoperation of communications between the RDPS and SDPS.
The present invention enables a user of a RDPS to be made aware of content that is applicable for the current situational location of the user. Depending on the application of the present invention, the content and configurations will take on a variety of themes.
For example, in an outdoor wireless embodiment of the present invention, advertisement content can be configured by paying customer advertisers through an internet web interface, and then automatically delivered to people when the people are in a location, or heading path to a location, for reasonable delivery of the content to their automobile installed, or handheld, RDPS. For example, as a driver or pedestrian (i.e. user) approaches a retail store with a mobile RDPS, a configured advertisement of a special deal at the retail store can be proactively delivered (i.e. pushed) to the user automatically on behalf of the store. Likewise, an indoor wireless embodiment of the present invention enables the driver or pedestrian, now a shopper inside the store, to receive configured content to a shopping cart mounted, or handheld, RDPS directing the shopper to specific sales items as the shopper moves about the inside of the store.
In another application, a policeman may activate a mobile police automobile device (i.e. RDPS) in a police car for automatic delivery of a person""s criminal record as the policeman drives by the location of a person""s house. The police establishment configures criminal record content, or pointers thereto, along with the location of the residence that is believed to harbor the person with a record. As the policeman drives by locations with addresses of known offenders, the RDPS displays applicable criminal data. Of course, the policeman can enable or disable the functionality as needed.
In another application, a traveling vehicle, for example a touring bus, carries tourists for a narrated drive through a geographic area. Currently, there are human narrators for providing narration of sites and landmarks to people of the narrated drive. The present invention allows configuring deliverable content for locations on the touring bus path so that an automated narrator RDPS installed in the bus can be provided to people on the bus. For example, an RDPS providing audio, video, multimedia, or combination thereof, communicates narration content to people on the touring bus automatically as locations are encountered, or driven by.
In another application, a person attending a large park (e.g. Disney World (Disney World is a trademark of Walt Disney corporation)) could simply carry a RDPS, and receive content to a handheld device for what attraction lies ahead based on the current location and direction of the person. The person would not have to consult a directory or ask where to find something. Informative content would be proactively delivered, rather than reactively in response to a person""s manual query to a service, or question to a human being.
In yet a further example, a valuable use would be for emergencies such as when a child is kidnapped. Currently, there is an Amber-Alert mechanism in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Tex. where radio stations broadcast an emergency message along with a distinguishable series of tones. This enables any pertinent information known about the kidnapper and child to be broadcast immediately to everyone with the radio on. The present invention enables the emergency broadcast to be immediately configured and then communicated to everyone with a RDPS, for example with a wireless internet connection. A picture of the victim and other multimedia information could be delivered along with audio immediately.
In still a further use of the present invention, garage sale and estate sale advertisements could be configured on behalf of paying customers that would otherwise use a newspaper classified section. As drivers become in reasonably close proximity to the sale, in the desired time window, advertisement content would be proactively delivered to a wireless RDPS installed, or handheld, in the automobile.
Thus, there are many applications for the present invention, all accomplished through simply changing the way the present invention is used. Content is pushed out to receiving devices at the most appropriate times. Users do not pull the content with a query.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention in supporting a variety of applications and uses. The way the invention is used makes it applicable to a wide range of applications. For example, a deliverable content database can be configured with content that is appropriate for the particular application. Situational location parameters associated with the particular application are also variable, provided the installed methodology is utilized consistently. For example, world coordinates, GPS coordinates, regional coordinates, MAPSCO references, Application Address Book locations and directions, a user""s caller id, a cell number in a cellular network, and like means used to describe a location can be used. Directional information of North, South, East, West, Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest, Up, Down, Left, Right, Straight, Back, and like methods used to describe a direction can be used. Further still, there are delivery constraints that can be set up for a system, or configured by a user, which provides flexibility in adapting to a variety of applications.
It is another advantage of the present invention in providing deliverable content to a person, based on the situational location of the person. Content is pushed to a user""s RDPS when it is most appropriate for the user to see the content.
It is another advantage of the present invention in automatically recognizing a candidate delivery event of a RDPS and automatically determining a situational location of the RDPS. A user is not burdened with providing information on a query. The present invention automatically determines when content should be delivered and then automatically and proactively delivers it. Content is pushed to the user (of the RDPS). The user is not burdened with pulling content via a query.
It is a further advantage of the present invention to deliver any type, variety, or combination of content. The content is fully configurable by an authorized administrator who may be a paying customer for the privilege of performing configurations. Upon configuration, the content is immediately and instantly activated for proactive delivery to any RDPS meeting the configured criteria. Content may be audio, video, graphical, textual, multimedia, intranet/internet web address(es) activated for transposable selection, image, or any combination thereof.
It is another advantage in maintaining a history of delivered content at the RDPS with information that is useful for later browsing. Contained therein is information relevant to the delivered content. Additionally, provided is an invocable speed address enabling the user to transpose to a web address, or perform a speed dial phone call, that is associated with the delivered content.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is providing new and useful query functionality for querying the total number of known receiving data processing systems for a particular situational location, querying any content configured for delivery to a particular situational location with a comprehensive variety of query parameters, and querying up to a maximum threshold number of deliverable content instances for a particular location in a manner which automatically determines containing (ascending) locations, if necessary, until the specified number is met.
Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.